The Pros and Cons of Excess Skin Surgery

伊丽莎白·米拉德(Elizabeth Millard)
by伊丽莎白·米拉德(Elizabeth Millard)
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After trying countless diets, Suzanne Ryan finally tried an eating approach that worked well for her — and that shift kicked off some rapid weight loss. Very rapid. At her heaviest, she was 315 pounds and lost 146 pounds in just over a year. Although she was thrilled to see the weight go, it wasn’t so pleasant to see what was left behind.

Ryan had loose skin in her upper arms, stomach, back and thighs. The effect tamped down some of the enthusiasm she felt about the weight loss, she says.

“The extra skin was very frustrating for me in many ways, from discomfort when running to discomfort sleeping, the occasional rash and skin irritation,” she notes. “It also affected me mentally in some ways because I felt frustrated that after losing so much weight, I was still left with a body that was uncomfortable and that I felt the need to cover up.”

The excess skin reminded her of ways she’d mistreated her body, she adds. As a gift to herself, she decided on surgical removal since no amount of working out would “stretch” the skin back into place.

Ryan is far from alone in feeling conflicted about her weight-loss progress, according to Dr. Peter LePort, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at the California-based Orange Coast Medical Center.

How much excess skin someone gets after weight loss depends on a number of factors, Dr. LePort notes. Genetics plays a big part, as does the rate of weight loss and the amount of muscle building.

他说:“任何减轻体重的人都有额外的皮肤作为一个相当大的问题,可能会在某个时候考虑手术。”“这并不适合所有人,但是如果您认为这可能对您有所帮助,那么值得研究。”

With that in mind, here are some pros and cons to kick off that research:

对于瑞安(Ryan)而言,她多余的皮肤感觉像是她过去的不断提醒 - 而不是证明她在达到减肥目标方面走了多远。她回忆说:“这就像我一生中非常困难的时期的行李。”

Getting over mental obstacles on the way to your goal weight is tough enough without a memento of your past dragging you down. The sense of momentum and progress were some of Ryan’s favorite results from going forward with her surgeries.

对于大多数人来说,主要的点数之一是手术费用,尤其是因为保险通常不涵盖程序。Leport博士指出,他的办公室和许多其他手术的其他人一样,提供了财务咨询来评估所有选择。

“What we’ve found is that insurance might cover something like 10% of the costs, unless it’s deemed medically necessary,” he says. “Even then, you may have to appeal to the insurance company to cover more.” Some of his patients spend about a year or two saving for the procedures they want, he says.

One of the most common areas for excess skin is around the abdomen, which Dr. LePort says makes sense, since that’s the part of the body that’s often significantly affected by being overweight. There’s only so much the skin on the arms and legs can be stretched, he notes, but the abdomen has an amazing capacity for expansion.

他说,因此,剩下的“围裙”可能会成为步行的问题。他的一位患者不得不握住那部分皮肤才能走路。虽然这是一个极端的情况,但Leport博士说,患者在尝试运动时会受到皮肤的阻碍。

Particularly in the abdomen, surgery can affect pain fibers, and that may lead to a more difficult recovery when it comes to pain management, Dr. LePort says.

Many other surgical techniques have advanced toward being less invasive, which greatly reduces the amount of post-op pain. But excess skin surgery still relies on the traditional strategy of cutting a large area, and that can turn recovery into a long process.

Leport博士说,当您的活动水平受到影响时,多余的皮肤可能具有挑战性,这可能是一个问题。

“There’s a large psychological effect that comes with this kind of excess skin,” he notes. “That might cause someone to isolate themselves more, and that’s not good. Part of health is being social and connecting with others.”

Even if you want surgery, a procedure may not be appropriate, according to Dr. Eugene Elliott, cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center. That could be because of chronic health issues such as hypertension, diabetes, heart problems or other concerns.

此外,外科医生可能会觉得患者需要减肥才能获得更好的效果。他补充说,期望也发挥了作用。

他说:“可能有健康的患者,但他们是不切实际的。”“他们认为自己会以完全平坦的胃醒来,或者他们的生活会大不相同。我们需要确保它们在心理上是良好的 - 他们对手术可以做什么和不能做的事情有很好的了解。”

MAKING THE DECISION

在这一点上,瑞安(Ryan)从胃和乳房中清除了多余的皮肤,并计划还可以手术纠正大腿。她说,结果不仅对她的外表更好,而且还减轻了脖子和背部的压力,改善了她的姿势,并帮助她在情感上前进。

她说:“我对自己的身体和动作更有信心。”“可以肯定的是,肯定会脱毛,这并不能使一切变得更好,因为我仍然在修复自尊心方面挣扎。但是,我的体内感到更舒适,没有过度,下垂的皮肤压力。”

关于作者

伊丽莎白·米拉德(Elizabeth Millard)
伊丽莎白·米拉德(Elizabeth Millard)

伊丽莎白(Elizabeth)是一位专门从事健康和健身的自由记者,以及ACE认证的私人教练和瑜伽联盟注册瑜伽老师。她的作品出现在自我,跑步者的世界,女子健康和CNN中。

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